If you cast your minds back to last year’s Strictly Come Dancing final, you’ll remember that Bill Bailey’s victory came as a jolt of much-needed joy after what felt like a deluge of bad news.
However, it turns out the man himself didn’t actually feel that way.
In a new interview with Radio X, Bill admitted that because of Covid restrictions in place at that time, his Strictly win was actually a lot more of an “anti-climax” than what we got to see on TV.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in,” the comedian said of his winning moment. “Because we never really celebrated afterwards. We never really had a bit of a ‘waheeeey’ [moment]. We didn’t do any of that because literally we went into lockdown about an hour after we did the live broadcast.”
He continued: “I’ve got to say, it was a little bit of a kind-of anti-climax afterwards, because we did the final, it’s like big pressure and all the rest of it.
“And then we win, and we get the big trophy and all the glitter and confetti’s going off... and then the live broadcast finishes and all the lights in the studio came up. And a bloke came up to me from the production and asked for the trophy back. Because you don’t get to keep it!”
“They give you a little one,” Bill added. “Like a little replica one about the size of a grapefruit. So he came over with a black bin bag. I’m not kidding. Literally, he went ‘right, give me that!’. And he took it off me, he put it in the black bin bag and said ‘right, out! Everyone’s got to be out!’.
“So I’ve not really got the full value out of the winning party, so that’s to come…”
Bill went on to say that he’d never have signed up for Strictly had it not been for his 2020 shows being cancelled due to the pandemic.
He explained: “The timeframe of Strictly, it’s a huge commitment. It’s weeks and weeks and weeks. It’s not something you can just do in a weekend. It’s months and months of work and time and training and all the rest of it.
“And that time that you do it, it’s like September up til Christmas, is exactly the time when you’re on tour and I would never have been able to do it.”
Bill’s win ended up making Strictly history as his professional partner Oti Mabuse became the first dancer to triumph in two consecutive series.
Seven couples currently remain in this year’s series of Strictly, following Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies’ elimination over the weekend.
The Chris Moyles Show airs every weekday from 6.30am on Radio X, and at 8am on Saturdays.